how do you feel about AEMSA?

[anthropus1]

I dont diy so i have no way of knowing that the juice i vape is safe, exept for trust. Thats were for me the AEMSA comes in. I STRONGLY support Self regulation and feel it is the best way to keep us all safe. Does anyone else try get their favorite eliquid manufacturers to get certified or will you if this is the first you've heard of AEMSA?

 

[anthropus1]

Aemsa.org for more info

 

[Alac]

The rules say you must, of course, be a liquid manufacturer.... however, that rule does not apply to the president of AEMSA

"AEMSA is not only for manufacturers. Another aspect of AEMSA’s mission is to welcome and embrace input from the community. AEMSA is designed to welcome Consumer Advocates and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) as non-manufacturing participants in the organization. While there is a limitation for the numbers of the Consumer Advocate membership, as a percentage of the general membership, Consumer Advocate and SME members can serve on various committees and even the Board of Directors itself. We readily acknowledge and appreciate there are non-manufacturing people in the community, with professional backgrounds and expertise, who can greatly contribute to the overall mission and goals of AEMSA. We are continuously working to find ways to include many – if not most – of the various interests involved in this industry. Consumer Advocate and SME memberships will be on an invitation only basis."

This is from their mission page. So, they have rules for not just manufacturers.

 

[Wow1420]

They are against WTA, so I'm against AEMSA.

 

[~Sue~Feb2012]

I heard about AEMSA here on ECF when it was first starting up. I remember reading a thread where folks were indicating that it would be cost prohibitive for many of our e-liquid suppliers to join AEMSA. I remember seeing that they wouldn't include suppliers of WTAs too etc. etc.

I never went back to look at any discussions after that until I saw the question about AEMSA in the 2014 Survey. On the survey I indicated that my e-liquid suppliers being certified by AEMSA was not that important to me (I forget how it was worded, exactly.)

 

[FireDragon1138]

Me too. I don't understand the issue with WTA.

Aroma and WholeCig actually are making alkaloid bases within the US, whereas most AEMSA members aren't doing that, they are using Chinese or Indian nicotine bases, then playing up the "made in America" aspects, it's VERY deceptive.

 

[~Sue~Feb2012]

Alac, after being a member of AEMSA for less than a year I can say that you are not correct on that statement, at all. We started manufacturing liquid during our 3rd year of business. We wanted to know what we were doing - before we committed to doing it. If that makes any sense! At the end of our 3rd year of business we started creating our own recipes. And we followed all the safety precautions and studied every article on nicotine and flavoring agents that we could find! After 8 months of successful manufacturing (and I judge that on how many people preferred our liquid over the 2 other companies that we carried), we joined AEMSA. We read on their site that they were offering a 'mentoring program'. Perfect! Right? I mean, if you know you could never learn enough about liquid manufacturing... this would be a perfect option! Wrong. They do not have a mentoring program. And they keep that on their website, even though they DO NOT have such a program.

I also found out that you do not want to ask their president too many questions.... even though you could try to make them simple 'yes or no' questions - you will not get a yes or no answer. Even to the simplest, unimportant matter!!! You will always get a 'book' of a response back. He's extremely wordy. Capitalizing and highlighting many words/sentences, and repeating himself over and over again in the same answer --- as if to say that he feels you are ignorant or not hearing him.

And here's where I think you and I disagree... AEMSA does not allow anyone who is not a liquid manufacturer to join their organization! You see, when we lost the retail space where our liquids were being made we began seeking another location around here, to continue our work. It was not an easy task! We needed to be AEMSA compliant with this new space, and we didn't want to completely remodel something. So, we had to stop mixing until we found what we needed. This put us in the category, to AEMSA, that excluded us from their organization.

Just a few short months of non manufacturing while we found and set up our new lab and we were asked to (yeah, I love that one too: were ASKED to...) quit the association. And when I brought it to their attention that (while we were setting up a new place) we could still be members: general members - while we got this place done, and then inspected. The president, who is not involved in the industry AT ALL, claimed that there were no other members in AEMSA that were not Liquid Manufacturers. Siting the name of the organization: Eliquid Manufacturing...yadda yadda.

So, you see, Alac, why I do not agree with you. They claimed it themselves! Unless you are the president of this manufacturing standards assoc. Only if you were the president of AEMSA, could you belong and not be a liquid manufacturer.

OH, the things I could tell you!

Wow. I'm all ears. In fact, I was thinking of asking someone, somewhere, some questions about AEMSA.

I'm wondering how many really know about AEMSA? or what is it that they do, exactly? and why was it mentioned on the survey?

 

[Alac]

Alac, after being a member of AEMSA for less than a year I can say that you are not correct on that statement, at all. <snip>

I do thank you for this reply.
Me being just a consumer has no way of knowing the inner workings of the organization, what I did was cut and paste info found on their website. How this "invitation" process is implemented is out of my knowledge.

I support AMSEA, or at least I support the idea of it. I believe in what the stated mission is, the standards themselves (on work area etc.) seem reasonable from the understanding that I've never been (or even thought of being) a manufacturer. Not being a WTA user, their stance is not a deal breaker for me, though I have noted it and try to see the side of all 3 conserved groups of this (AMSEA, WTA manufacturers and WTA users).
I guess this is a case (which happens all to often) of the inner workings of an organization is not all what they appear from the outside, perhaps it is growing pains of a sort.

 

[Thundernoggin]

I'd like more details on the lab and what was found.